The control of phytopathogenic fungi is of great economic importance since fungal growth on plants or on parts of plants inhibits production of foliage, fruit or seed, and adversely affects the overall quality of a cultivated crop.
Because of the vast economic ramifications of fungal propagation in agricultural and horticultural cultivations, a broad spectrum of fungicidal and fungistatic products have been developed for general and specific applications.
Of particular interest with respect to the present invention embodiments are fungicide compositions which contain an inorganic bicarbonate or carbonate compound. It is known that bicarbonate and carbonate compounds exhibit fungicidal properties for agricultural purposes.
Phytopathology, 48, 169 (1931) by R. H. Marloth describes studies involving the physiology of fungi. The reference reports studies which demonstrate that sodium and potassium bicarbonate and carbonate salts are toxic to fungi such as Penicillium italicum and Penicillium digitalum.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,560,558 discloses the use of salts such as lithium carbonate, sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate, potassium carbonate and ammonium bicarbonate as fungicide ingredients.
There remains a continuing need for the development of new and more effective fungicides which possess preventive, curative and systemic activity for the protection of cultivated plants, with a minimum of phytotoxic side effects.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a dry blend biocide composition which contains a bicarbonate ingredient exhibiting fungicidal properties, and a combination of surfactant ingredients, and which is harmless to animals and humans.
It is another object of this invention to provide a dry blend fungicide composition which is a non-caking and free-flowing formulation, and which contains particulate ingredients comprising a bicarbonate salt, and a combination of hydrophilic polymer and multiple surfactants which function as a spreader-sticker and film-forming medium when the composition is diluted with water and applied to plant foliage.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention shall become apparent from the accompanying description and examples.